Presentation
Were Afghan Women to Unveil Their Tales is a project that offers a close and respectful look into the lives of Afghan women, revealing what they endure within an extremely difficult reality. Afghanistan faces many challenges today, and one of the most severe is the erosion of women’s rights and freedoms. Since the Taliban regained power, more than seventy new regulations have been imposed to restrict women’s access to education, employment, healthcare, and freedom of movement.
This harsh environment has deeply affected the lives of Afghan women, as reflected in their own accounts and experiences. These restrictions shape every space they inhabit—from public areas to their own homes—where they confront daily limitations on mobility, opportunities, and even the smallest decisions.
Yet Afghan women continue to demonstrate extraordinary strength. Their everyday actions—leaving home, running businesses, organizing within their communities—are acts of bravery. These gestures reveal a profound determination to preserve their identities in a society that attempts to suppress their freedom.
Their lives are marked by an inner resilience that withstands the pressures of a system designed to confine them. Through images that move beyond appearances, this project seeks to document not only the challenges Afghan women face but also their hopes, resilience, and the many layers of their stories. Despite living under conditions of deprivation, their quiet resistance reflects dreams and identities that persist even in the harshest times.
By sharing these experiences, Were Afghan Women to Unveil Their Tales highlights the courage of Afghan women and shows that, in a place where freedom is systematically denied, every act of self-expression becomes a powerful declaration. Acknowledging the limitations of an outsider’s perspective, this project respects the richness and diversity of experiences that no single narrative can fully encompass—the silent struggles, unspoken dreams, and everyday battles that often remain unseen.
Biography
Valentina Sinis is an Italian photographer working between China, Iraq, and Italy. Her work gravitates toward the unusual and the overlooked, focusing on communities and individuals rarely represented in mainstream media. Her photographs have appeared in leading international newspapers and magazines.
She was part of the VII Mentorship Program (2018–2021) and was selected as one of the 6x6 Europe Talents by World Press Photo in 2019. She has worked on assignments for UNICEF, Emergency ONG, and the BBC, among others.
Her work has received numerous awards, including the Female in Focus Award (2020), the National Geographic Fund for Journalists (2020), a POY Award of Excellence (2021), the Istanbul Photo Award Story Daily Life 1st Prize (2025), and several honours from FotoAward, AAP Magazine, InCadaqués, the Zeke Award, and more.
Between 2023 and 2025 she has been producing and directing a long-term documentary project in Sinjar, Iraq. Her photographs and multimedia work have been exhibited internationally, including at Festival Off Arles (2024), Les Rencontres de la Photographie Marrakech (2024), Museo Etrusco in Rome (2025), Photofrome (2025), and the United Nations in Geneva (2025).
She continues to explore intimate, unconventional narratives shaped by resilience, identity, and the unseen.
